Monday, August 22, 2011

I was listening to my CD that came with ChaLEAN Extreme today and realized how much me all need to understand why we gain weight as we age.

Did you know that once you pass 30 years old you start losing muscle mass? No, this doesn't mean you will LOSE weight, it means you will GAIN weight! Muscle burns calories.... even when you are sitting on the couch watching TV! The more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body burns calories and the more food your body can consume without gaining weight!!! Hmmmm.

Soooooo, this means that endless running on the treadmill is bad? Not exactly. Running on the treadmill burns calories and gives you immediate benefit in terms of calorie burn but it doesn't have optimal longterm benefits (plus it is really boring ;)). It does mean that you need to add some weight lifting into your workout regimen. You don't have to hang with the big guys and pump iron, but you need to use resistance bands or free weights and do some bicep curls, shoulder presses, squats, lunges and pushups!

No, you will not bulk up! Women don't have enough testosterone to get BIG muscles. You do need to keep some cardio in your regimen to continue burning fat though. Muscle does not turn into fat nor does fat turn into muscle. Fat gets burned off when your body needs extra energy to get through the day when you are burning more calories than you are consuming. As you build muscle you might notice the scale isn't moving but your clothes are fitting better. One pound of muscle is compact and takes up less room that One pound of fat. Does that make sense to you? Your muscle is increasing and your fat is decreasing but we all wear muscle better than we wear fat!

Using the excuse that you don't know the first thing to do with weights is not going to help your metabolism so lets find a few options for you:

If you have a gym membership, go to a PUMP, sculpt or interval training class. If you have any questions make sure you ask the instructor. They are there to help you!

Alternatively get a personal trainer to show you the basics. You may need to be very clear that you just want an overview of how to use weights safely or you will get roped into a costly package (but this is fine too just make sure you know how much and for how long).

Look for a kettlebell or other weight based class that you can sign up for... google it!

Ask for my help! I can meet with you and help you understand the basics and cover some of the safe ways of lifting. I won't be setting up a training regimen for you but can help you decide what will work best for you!

A few other great tips for improving your metabolism, in addition to adding muscle to your body, is eating every 2-3 hours, including protein in each meal/snack, controlling your serving size and drinking lots of water! To control my cravings and help myself fill up with fewer calories I also replace one meal or one snack a day with Shakeology. With a low glycemic index and amazing nutrition, Shakeology gives you sustained energy without causing a spike in your blood sugar.